


The Siege of Redcliffe

by janiejanine



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, Meta, Part Meta Part Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 10:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5124488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janiejanine/pseuds/janiejanine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The Inquisition ground itself to a pulp against the walls ages ago.” Speculation on Redcliffe's bad future, and the fate of the Inquisition after In Hushed Whispers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Siege of Redcliffe

The day the Herald dies, the disappearances begin. The news of their death comes to them by raven, scribbled on bloodstained paper by an agent who’d escaped the castle. The agent doesn’t make it back to Haven. Neither does anyone else.

Leliana sends a succession of spies and scouts to investigate, and they’re never seen again. Finally, she goes herself, and doesn’t come back.

Cullen and Josephine, as the last remaining leaders of the Inquisition, sit down for a meeting. Neither of them look at the three empty spots at the table. Rumors are spreading, of rifts spawning everywhere, of an army of demons, and they have to do something. They can’t just sit in their poorly-defended village and wait to be overrun.

Josephine begs, promises, calls in every favor she has. It’s not enough, and they both know it. They lack the money and the manpower to lay siege to a fortress like Redcliffe, but what choice do they have? No help is coming from Orlais–they’re in a shambles after Celene’s death–and Ferelden has been maddeningly uncommunicative. They don’t have the clout to  _make_ anyone listen to them. They’re on their own.

So the Inquisition–such as it is–marches.

The village is already empty, abandoned except for the bodies of those who hadn’t run fast enough. Rifts churn in the distance, and over it all, the Breach, widening by the day. The air is filled with green-tinged clouds of smoke; the fields are burning, leaving no supplies for any coming attackers. Whatever happens is going to have to happen fast.

Cullen doesn’t know what awaits them at Redcliffe Castle, but he does know how slim their chances are. Redcliffe has only been taken three times in four hundred years, and never when there were demons involved. Demons can’t be demoralized, they can’t be starved out. All he can do is hit them as hard and fast as possible and pray it’ll be enough.

His prayers go unanswered.

As a formality, he tries to negotiate–not that he thinks it’ll work–and his messengers come back in pieces. So he steels himself and prepares to throw everything he has against Redcliffe’s walls. If they can get even a few people inside…it only takes one to sway the course. He knows that better than most.

He prays, as he always does, and the Maker’s absence has never felt so palpable.

They make the most of what resources they have. They batter the gates. Trebuchets pound the wall while men try to scale it. Some make it up. Most don’t. The ones that do are quickly dispatched by the defenders at the top. They do have sappers (they can thank the Chargers and Varric’s connections for that one) and they do their best to undermine the wall, but it’s too thick and sturdy to collapse. They almost make it, once–with their mages’ help, the fire under the wall burns so hot it cracks the foundation–but the defenders have mages, too, more and better ones, and they’re able to repair it before it can do any good.

Finally, demons swarm the field, and it’s just like Kinloch, like Kirkwall, and the people–his people–are no match. Rage, fear, despair, they sweep over everything,  _consuming_.  

Death, when it comes, is quick. Unremarkable. He never expected to die of old age. Long, sharp claws find a weakness in his armor and tear through. He tastes metal and salt, falls, and that’s that. 

Later, Ferelden pulls itself together and lays siege to the castle three times. Each one fails. Does anyone else try after that? The guard's journal doesn’t say. If so, it wasn’t worth mentioning. None of it made any difference.


End file.
